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Lost Arrow: Book I of The Kalelah Series

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Some things are best left undiscovered.

All our ideas about humanity’s origins get twisted in this colonization story crafted will all the intrigue and layers of a nail-biting thriller. If you love Michael Crichton and Dan Brown, start this heart-pounding series.

Geologist Sarah Long makes the discovery of a lifetime. A strange ship buried in the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean. It’s impossibly big. Extremely old. And most definitely not from this planet. But neither is it alien. Or dead.

At the same time, the ship makes its own jaw-dropping discovery, and Captain Jan Argen must decide between his duty to the ship’s mission and a shocking, new reality he never expected.

Moving between characters anchored in contemporary, American life and the crew of the mysterious starship, The Kalelah Series is a fast-moving countdown toward a battle between people who have everything in common, except what they believe.

Space opera, first-contact and alien invasion fans get it all.

Joey Berlin, Executive Producer of The Critics' Choice Awards says, “Wickedly Original. Lost Arrow hits the sci-fi bullseye. I can’t wait to see the movie.”

Other books in The Kalelah Series:

Fallen Arrow, Book II of The Kalelah Series
Jagged Arrow, Book III of The Kalelah Series

92 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2018

160 people are currently reading
867 people want to read

About the author

Marshall Ross

4 books16 followers

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5 stars
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60 (36%)
3 stars
36 (21%)
2 stars
13 (7%)
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6 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Jim C.
1,789 reviews37 followers
November 7, 2018
I received this book thru a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for this giveaway.

This book is more a novella that a novel and is the first one of a series. In this one, a group of oil diggers discover a mammoth ship at the bottom of the ocean. This ship and its crew are still active and they are not of this world.

Right away I was intrigued by the mystery of the ship and how and why it was where it was. The author does an excellent job pulling the reader in right away. He goes back and forth with the point of view from the the oil diggers and the crew of the ship at the bottom of the ocean. While reading, I was looking forward when these two different worlds finally collided. The reason why the ship is on this planet fell a little flat for me. It has do with religion and God and it never captured me which is surprising because I enjoy books with a religious overtone. Also, there were too many characters that were never fleshed out that caused this book to lose its initial momentum. I will say that the author has set up that this series can be real explosive between the two groups and the following books should contain this.

I liked this book and I really liked the idea of this book. I think it could have been better as it does have its faults. I believe the reason for this is that it was a novella and motivation and character development never shined. If the author can accomplish these aspects I believe this could be an exciting series.
Profile Image for Liz (Quirky Cat).
4,986 reviews86 followers
October 16, 2018
I received a copy of Lost Arrow through BookishFirst in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lost Arrow is the first book in the Kalelah Series by Marshall Ross. It’s a quick read, but thankfully the third book is almost out, so you can easily binge through them all if you so choose. I received my copy in a set of three, which to me made it feel like one larger book. Still, I think it could be enjoyable to read them either all as one, or in the three stints as intended.
This series is very different from many others that I’ve read. It’s science fiction with a heavy dose of religion (one that is made up for the purpose of the series, and thus it never felt like I was being pressured). It’s an interesting concept, so have such an advanced society so structured like that. Yet it makes a lot of sense, with the context we’ve been given.



For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Profile Image for Wendy.
2,371 reviews45 followers
November 27, 2018
In “Lost Arrow” the first book in “the Kalelah” series Marshall Ross flips the Christian concept of the birth of mankind upside down and weaves it into a science fiction mystery that opens with geologist Sarah Long's discovery of an alien ship lying in the Mariana trench in the Pacific Ocean.

In a parallel narrative Captain Jan Argen and his executive awakened early from their five thousand year sleep is faced with the hostility and violence of a human race that would rather blow the starship up than to communicate with it. Not expecting this outcome to God’s plan to seed new worlds with human beings, Chief Ganet and Analyst Trin join Captain Argen, rising to the surface to explain their objective in nurturing mankind and leading it to a relationship with God only to face fear, aggression and violence.

Short in length the plot heats up as contemporary goals clash with a celestial plan when the beliefs of man’s ancestors collide with their contemporary counterparts and a fight between the two looms on the horizon. A fascinating concept but with few details, minimal buildup in intensity and suspense, and little character development, the story didn’t hold me in its grip until a surprise twist near the end in preparation for the sequel.

Yet I did like “Lost Arrow”, a quick read that I hope will develop more in the next book. I rate it a 3.5 so have given it a 4.0 on the scale.
Profile Image for jboyg.
425 reviews4 followers
December 3, 2019
Promising Start To 1st Contact\Ancient Series

I liked this book a lot, especially in the beginning, but as it progressed and the aliens made their appearance it seemed to lose steam. Not sure I want read the sequels.
1 review
October 6, 2018
This is a really fun book. If you're ready for something that is escapist, and yet isn't really, because it's tied to themes that the world is wrestling with right now, but then again IS a step away from your day to day, I recommend you read the 3-part Lost Arrow et seq series.

The science it's based on--until 2017, when DNA tech proved we're considerably older--held that we developed anatomically maybe 200,000 years ago, probably in South Africa, and prospered around the eastern coast of Africa, eventually migrating out east and west. The science before last year said that we left Africa going east, southeast and north maybe 60,000-85,000 years ago, and this was around the time that language developed, and with it, religion. They now think homo sapiens departed Africa much earlier. All this a long winded way of saying that the science Lost Arrow was built on is true; what's cool about that is that, theoretically at least, something like this COULD have happened. Which is how the best science fiction is grounded.

Next: I've seen knocks on the character development in the book, and certainly page turning brevity does not abide deep and rich portraits of folks. This thing is almost like a movie script, and that format lends to momentum and the page-turning gris-gris. And what's very enjoyable here is that the main characters, especially the primary villain and the the good guys' top hero are both women. Their temperaments and characters are very well drawn, and some of the top ancillary actors are equally well sketched, such as the IT nerd who's sort of the right hand man of our heroine.

There's some art here that you don't usually see. At one point, once it's dawning on the earthlings that there's something much more advanced and powerful than we are, the leading world's religions' top clerics convene to see what can be done. The meeting devolves into a miasma of inaction, and these religious yahoos don't show up again in the story. That was pretty cool, because, again, if something like this ever happened and the planet's leading clergy got together, I can't imagine it going other than as author Ross describes. That was an nice touch.

What I'm trying to say is: folks who say this is fluffy and formulaic etc aren't entirely off base. In a way it is. But it's very very artfully done, like a good pop song, so it's an elevated example of its genre.

Plus, ask your self this question: "I've been dealing with a lot in my life and some zero days all I can say is I'm doing the best I can. Don't I enjoy a couple hours of pure enjoyment?" I'm here to say: You do. Yes you do. So you should read this book.
183 reviews2 followers
September 28, 2018
I fully expected this book to get it wrong......in so much that it would be soooooo far out there that it would not be believable in the least. So, I was pleasantly surprised to not only like the book, but love the characters, and love the premise: that God has sent His armies in the form of beautiful spaceships to planets throughout the heavens to 'seed' human beings, in the hope of finding a new world for Him to exist within them. When the ship is located by accident buried in the deepest part of the ocean, and summarily nuked, three emissaries sneak off of the ship to explain the dilemma they all now face due to the attack: the complete destruction of every living thing on the planet. Expecting 'aliens', Sarah and her shipmates are shocked to find humans rising from the depths and completely incredulous of their tale. This ship, and many others like it, have been sent by God throughout the universe to seed and guide human life in the ways of His word. Sarah becomes part of a plan to convince the residents on the ship that they truly are human beings, just as they are. But the complications are overwhelming: the captain and third emissary are killed on earth; Sarah must convince others that she is a human and that those on the planet are worthy of saving; and the woman who takes over the ship after the three depart has created the very conditions that have led them to where they are.....the edge of the end of all life on earth. I loved it!
Profile Image for Alicia Herrington.
120 reviews7 followers
October 10, 2018
Librarian: This book feels very much like one that would be on the shelves of many library science fiction collections. It has the right ingredients, plucky heroine, something hidden in the deep, aliens (who may not be aliens at all), and even the religious themes and tones that populate so much of science fiction. So yeah, the feel is right. And if you have the budget to include less well-known authors in your collection, then this is one to consider. Unfortunately, most of us do not. And the truth is in order to get the numbers on a less well-known author, it needs to be truly spectacular. This isn't. But it is fun, so as I said, if you have the budget, it's worth the look.
Reader: I have read many, many science fiction novels over the years. In fact two of my bookshelves are exclusively SF/Fantasy. (For the record I have 12 bookshelves at the moment. And I probably need more, but I only have so much room.) This book is a fun example of that genre. It's nothing groundbreaking, nothing I haven't read before, but sometimes that's exactly what you want in sci-fi. Sometimes all you want is the expected. This delivers nicely.
Profile Image for Kelly.
1,028 reviews
September 21, 2018
This book intends to explore the concept of humans coming into contact with aliens that are residing at the bottom of the ocean, who intended to guide them along their path to God and enlightenment, but somehow overslept the evolution process. Now most of the aliens feel they should wipe the slate clean and start all over again, and the humans, unsurprisingly, are against it. If I'd known when I read a preview of this that it was going to focus on a very religious group of people I probably would have opted against requesting the full ARC. Even with that disregarded, I couldn't finish more than the first book of this series, even though I was given a digital galley of all three. There's no character development, the establishment of the plot is flimsy (and it's necessary in a story where an author is trying to make you believe something like this could happen), the first book ends in a way more natural to a chapter or part of a book ending and the writing in general wasn't all that good to me.
Profile Image for Jessica Berry.
654 reviews21 followers
October 2, 2018
The preview initially caught my attention, and I was honored to receive an ARC.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the book lost me.

An oil-hunting crew, out on a standard mission, discovers life 7 miles below sea level. The boss wants the archaeologists to pretend they didn't see it. He doesn't want the responsibility that will flow uphill. They, on the other hand, are desperate to know more. That's the first perspective.

The second perspective in which this book this told is that of the aliens. They initiated a "skip", whereby they fast forward many many years by going into a deep sleep. They're woken up too early, though, and they seek answers.

The two worlds will collide.

Where this book lost me is the religious nature of the aliens. I can't relate to it, I'm not interested in it, and I don't believe in it.

The writing was great, and I loved how the author crafted the characters. But the plot wasn't for me, so I could hold steady on this one. I found myself reading other books and considering this book more like work.
Profile Image for Icy_Space_Cobwebs  Join the Penguin Resistance!.
5,652 reviews330 followers
October 10, 2018
Review of LOST ARROW by Marshall Ross

First in a sci-fi trilogy, LOST ARROW is a tremendously exciting and engrossing novella. Literally “can't put down,” the story is set in our contemporary era, and begins when an oil company research vessel geologist scans the bottom of the Mariana Trench (already seven miles below the surface) and discovers—a ship! Buried even deeper than the trench, the ship's presence is inexplicable. Of course, the U.S. Government and Military insist on a solution, and it isn't pretty. But what the reader is made privy to, and the Government-Military Complex doesn't know, is that the ship is alive—and populated. Before this is over, there will be unexpected, nearly unbelievable, answers to Evolution on Earth, Outer Space, and the existence of Extraterrestrial Sentience. I absolutely cannot wait to read Books 2 and 3 in the Trilogy.
Profile Image for Lizz Small.
30 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2018
I really enjoy the author's style of writing. He got right into the story and immediately had my attention. I'm not big on cursing so I could do without that but the storyline itself is great along with the characters. I like that the author builds the characters as the story progresses verses trying to give you all the details and back story upon introduction of the characters. Sarah is a very relatable character as she's trying to figure out her own life and where she's going as well as survive in the moment and not get walked over. I love the character of Trin because I see him in people I know and it's interesting to get a glimpse of what may be going on inside their head. His inner monologue is great!! Looking forward to reading the rest and watching the plot unfold and characters grow.
Profile Image for Karen.
201 reviews
September 17, 2018
I read the first three books in this series. They are all short, more like novellas. I was intrigued by the plot and excited to read the series. My excitement waned, as I continued to read. A lot of characters are introduced, similar to a classic Russian novel, where you need an index of some sort to keep track of them all. The brevity of the books and the large number of characters doesn't allow for much character development. Maybe that will come in subsequent books, but I'm not sure I'm going to read on. You'd think I'd care about the continuation of humankind on Earth, but without attachment to any of the main characters, it's going to be difficult to motivate myself to read more. I'm disappointed.
3 reviews
September 23, 2018
Lost Arrow provided me with a thoroughly enjoyable visit to the world of science-fiction, making me wonder why I haven't spent as much time there recently as I used to. While it may not be Bradbury or Heinlein, it's a damn good story, entirely creditable, showing the solid talent one would expect from a writer who spends his days as a top-tier creative expert. According to a quick google search, he's got game, and it shows.

The plotting is fast paced and unexpected, as the characters are put through their paces, including twisty high-stakes circumstances, scientific mystery, political intrigue, romantic entanglement and an existential crisis. This is all done so well that we end up truly caring, a quality often found missing in the sci-fi genre. I'm so glad I didn't miss this!
46 reviews
October 19, 2018
I was given an early release copy of this trilogy in exchange for an unbiased review of the story. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity to read and review this book. I am not typically a reader of the sci-fi genre. However, I found myself enthralled with the concept of this story. I loved how the story was set up. The idea of aleins living in the water was at first alarming to me, but as I read on, I discovered that they weren't harmful to humans. I enjoyed the fact that the author gave the perspective of the humans and the aliens. I found myself actually really enjoying the story line. I really enjoyed that the three books came together so that I didn't have to wait for the next to come out!
Profile Image for CR.
4,205 reviews42 followers
October 27, 2018
My Review: This book really caught my attention. It was kind of slow going at parts but others were well paces. I think as a whole this three book set was out of this world and I could not put it down. An alien ship at the bottom of the deep ocean and what it is doing there...that is the mystery. I have to say that this was a very new take on the whole alien idea and one that really hit it out of the park. I again could not stop reading this one and I ended up staying up way too late to finish it!

It does take off from there. My only issue is that I didn’t feel that I received sufficient/clear background material on the “alien” viewpoint. But overall, this is a book that you become invested in until the end.

Do I Recommend this book? Yes!
Profile Image for Angela Kreais.
244 reviews16 followers
November 4, 2018
Lost Arrow is a story about aliens coming to Earth with a seed population and a mission to guide and influence the population toward God over the course of thousands of years with Epochal check ins (about every 5-6 thousand years). Lost Arrow starts 120,000 years after the delivery of the seed population (E37) when a science ship: Lewis, scans the space ship: Kalelah, in the deepest part of ocean off the coast of Hawaii. Told from both sides of the story.

Its kind of interesting but abruptly ends and is only 100 pages long. This is more a novella than book. Its a slow build up and not much happens besides character and plot introduction.

This ebook was provided to me for free from a BookishFirst promotion.
Profile Image for Sasha.
664 reviews28 followers
October 5, 2018
First I would like to state that I received this book through the Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity and honor in being able to read this book. When I received this book I began reading it at once. The plot flowed along smoothly keeping you turning the pages wanting to read more. It has very well lay out and interesting characters. I really enjoy the authors writing style. It was a very enjoyable book and feel that others will feel so also. It is a must read and one I will be reading over and over again.
Profile Image for Kent Archie.
629 reviews6 followers
October 20, 2020
This is written as a single book of average length.
It was then released as 3 short books.
So this just sets up the premise and ends with a weird and startling event.
I don't plan to read the others.

I liked the premise of an alien culture that travels around seeding planets with human life
to fulfill the directives of their god.
But the aliens were way too much like us culturally for my tastes.
This is similar to an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that used it to explain why all the different species mostly looked alike.
Profile Image for Gloria Zak.
606 reviews2 followers
October 13, 2018
Interesting!

First thank you to the author/publisher for giving me an opportunity to read this book through the Goodreads giveaway program.

I mostly read mystery/police procedural books, but I do enjoy some sci fi from time to time. I enjoyed the book and characters, has great potential. Not sure I liked the religious element.

The first book obviously leaves you hanging with a dreadful event. Look forward to more Sarah and Trin!

Profile Image for RBSProds.
198 reviews2 followers
August 4, 2022
The short story “Lost Arrow" is Book 1 of the Kalelah Series by Marshall Ross. Aboard the oil research ship “Lewis” which is hovering above the 7 mile deep Mariana Trench, geologist Sarah Long and her cohorts are scanning the floor and make a disturbing discovery. A huge object lies on the bottom of the trench and may become the find of her lifetime and perhaps one of the premier discoveries of mankind. Five SPLENDID Stars. 92 pages. Fallen Arrow is Book II of “The Kalelah Series”.
1 review1 follower
November 22, 2018
This book engaged me from the get go and kept me interested throughout. I am not typically a fan of sci fi. I am very curious to see where this goes! The writing is crisp and the story is well paced. Kudos to Mr. Ross on this fine debut. I have a feeling we'll be reading more from him beyond this series.
2 reviews2 followers
November 1, 2018
Awesome debut from Marshall Ross. A true page turner, that captivates you from the start. Full of suspense, adventure and action, while contemplating our own past. One of those tales that you keep saying to yourself "this would be an awesome movie!".
Profile Image for Daniel Otis.
63 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2020
Ancient Aliens and God theory!

Caught my interest right away! As a Christian man that believes in scientific explanations and Scripture, this explores what all of us probably wonder about origins and history of Man on this planet!
146 reviews2 followers
April 28, 2023
Mind blowing concept of where we came from

Mind blowing concept of where we came from! Started out like some alien invasion but definitely dropped a major bomb of some sort of action and intrigue to come in the next book
Profile Image for Cyndy.
12 reviews
November 2, 2018
Very intriguing story. I love how it starts to tie versions of evolution together in a science fiction way. I look forward to reading the next installment soon.
12 reviews2 followers
April 6, 2019
Attempting con

This is a single book broken up into serial. Which they never say outright. Yet another .com game on the web.
Profile Image for Deborah thompson.
78 reviews2 followers
September 18, 2019
Origin theory

Very cleverly written origin story The first in the series and the author did a wonderful job of keeping your attention and interest
15 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2019
Book is not going away.

The story line is very good. You're just getting into the real story when the book ends.
I still like the book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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